A lot of people invest a significant time and resources trying to become famous. Some will go to outlandish ends to earn an audience. In 2013, a couple from India used Photoshop to insert themselves into a picture of someone reaching the summit of Mount Everest. They wanted the fame but didn’t want to make the climb.
Other people have done similar things in an effort to grab their thirty-seconds of fame. But, what did they do with the remaining 86,370 seconds that day and every other day of their lives? Rather than look for 30 seconds of fame, why not invest your time becoming a person of significance?
Maybe the world doesn’t know who you are, but your family does. You might never make the cover of Success Magazine, but your face is on the cover of your children’s book of memories. You might never earn an award, but your faithfulness to your wife is something to be celebrated.
No matter where you are or what you do for a living, you aren’t an unknown. Your character—good or bad—ripples throughout your home, work, church, and community. When everyone else is looking the other direction, God is keeping a watchful eye on you.
People who achieve some degree of notoriety usually do so through doing something significant or something dumb. Every day you get to choose which course to take. When you become a person of significance, you’ll be in a different category than those who pursue success. Significance has a longer shelf life.
Becoming a person of significance means resisting the urge to do what everyone else does. It means developing personal principles that govern every area of life—business, personal, and spiritual. It means being consistent even on days when things don’t go as planned.
You really aren’t an unknown. The Bible tells us that God knew you before you were born (Jeremiah 1:5). Those closest to you know you. When you become a person of significance, the people you influence will know you.
But being known shouldn’t be the primary objective; God didn’t leave us here to make ourselves famous. He left us here to point people to Him. We are all here to make Him known.
When you serve people well in business, personal relationships, and spiritual responsibility, you will discover the joy that comes from desiring significance over success. In doing what’s right, you’ll learn more about yourself, encourage more people, and build a legacy that outlasts your life.
There’s no such thing as an unknown!
Live on purpose,
Aaron Walker
